Support the Zoo

Volunteer with Your Lil' Spooks and Mini Monsters

Join us for a fun volunteer experience great for a group of two to 20. Volunteer with your wee-werewolves and small spooks at Creepy Crawly, Safari Attack or other treat stations along the Zoo trail. Volunteers also assist with Carnival games at Carn'Evil, Gypsy Mystery Maze, Boo Bounce House and Costume Parades.

Especially spooky opportunities also exist as Haunted Hayride Tractor Drivers, Mascots, Monster Lab Characters and Dance Teams. Interested in developing skills in special events or volunteer management? Volunteer coordinators are needed to assist with pre-event planning, set-up, volunteer recruitment and management during event nights.

While volunteering at the Zoo always lets you work toward a free new or renewing membership, volunteer hours accumulated during Ghouls at Grassmere are twice as nice. Each Ghouls event volunteer hour counts as two, earning a membership - at the Dual Household Plus level or below - in as little as 25 hours.


Hours accrued by family members listed on the same Nashville Zoo membership may be combined to reach the minimum. So you could break it up over the course of the event, with Dad, little Johnny and Jason volunteering on Friday (15 hrs), Mom and Betty Sue on Saturday (10 hrs) and voila, free membership. Or bring the entire family out to volunteer on one evening to accomplish the same goal.With nine event nights there are plenty of shifts to go around.

  • The minimum volunteer age is 10 if accompanied by an adult. There must be at least one volunteer present for every four volunteers between the ages 10-15. You must be 16 years old to volunteer without an adult.
  • 50 hour minimum must be met within 12 consecutive months.
  • All volunteer hours donated 11/1/2009 through 11/1/2010 are eligible for accrual towards a complimentary Membership.
  • Memberships can not be discounted based on partial accrual of hours. 50 hour minimum must be satisfied.

You can make a difference by creating a fun and safe Halloween event for the community. Get your costume ready and register to volunteer here.

Ghouls at Grassmere runs Oct. 15-17, 22-24 and 28-30. Volunteer times are 4:30 pm to 10:00 pm. For more information, contact Amy Garten at volunteer@nashvillezoo.org or 615-833-1534 ext 140.